At 5:30, You Turn Gold
by maradonavselvisvsme
Summary: Lucas learns exactly why it was never going to work between him and Maya, OR Maya knows her own feelings a lot better than we give her credit for. A short story about how Maya is in love with her best friend. Fluffy.


Topanga's is quiet at 2 in the afternoon, the lunchtime rush is over and there's still time before school finishes. From behind the counter, Katy tries to avoid watching her daughter too closely. She deserves her privacy, and from the looks of it the conversation she's having is very private.

Lucas and Maya sit beside each other, untouched smoothies on the table in front of them, speaking in soft voices.  
"You don't owe me anything, Maya." Lucas's voice is steady, like always, and his eyes never leave Maya's face.  
"Yes," Maya begins, "I do. You deserve to know why I don't think _us_ is working."  
Unlike Lucas, Maya seems nervous, agitated, her gaze fixed on the space on the table in front of her drink.  
"You don't have to explain anything to me. I only care that you do what's right for yourself."  
Maya rolls her eyes so hard it hurts her head. Lucas is so earnest, so genuine, and Maya thinks that's exactly the problem. He reminds her far too much of her best friend, who she is trying exceptionally hard not to think about.

"Lucas, listen," she starts again, finally turning to face him, "You're sweet and honest and kind of amazing. You'd do anything for your friends - "

"You're saying that like they're bad things!" Lucas cuts her off before she can continue, confusion in his green eyes."

"They're not bad things, Lucas. They're great things, the kinds of things that are true about my favourite people." She pauses again, closes her eyes and says, softer, "My favourite _person_."  
Lucas looks thrown for a second, then says,  
"Maya everyone knows Riley is your favourite person,"  
Maya winces when he says her name, and if he notices he doesn't say anything.

"I don't understand why me and your best friend being similar would make you not want to be with me, I thought that's why you liked me in the first place?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you," Maya huffs, "You and Riley are exactly alike. She's so full of sunshine and everything good in the world. I think I saw the kindness in you and latched onto it, tried to fill the romantic part of my life with you and didn't realise that it wasn't what I actually wanted. I didn't mean to use you, but dating you was as close as I could get to being with her, I got so confused thinking that you were what I wanted, never realising that I wanted her and you were the closest attainable thing."

"There are tears glistening in Maya's eyes now, shoulders shaking as she tries to hold herself together.

Lucas just nods, realisation dawning on him. He doesn't pull Maya in for a hug, but he places a loving hand on her shoulder as she says,  
"Sorry for breaking down on you like this, but you deserved to know."

"He smiles sadly, and says,

"So does she."

*2 hours later, bay window*/span/p

Riley kicks her legs against the seat as she waits for Maya, knowing she'll show up eventually.  
When a head of blonde hair and a small body makes its way through the window and into the space next to her she smiles her widest smile.

"Hey, Peaches,"

"Hey Honey."

"How was your date?"

Maya and Lucas had always been a sore subject between them, but Riley stepped aside just as Maya had done at the very beginning because all she wanted was for her best friend to be happy.

"Does it count as a date if you break up before the date starts?"

Riley's eyes shoot up to Maya's face, silently telling her to elaborate.

"Me and Lucas weren't working. He's too much like you."

"Peaches, I thought that's why you liked him?"

"I thought it was too. Turns out I was using him in the place of you."

"What do you mean? You didn't replace me with him, I'm still your best friend!"

Maya reaches over and tangles their fingers together, humming in acknowledgement.

"Yeah, Riles, you'll always be my best friend. But what I told Lucas was that I tried to project my feelings for you onto him. You two are so similar I confused platonic love with romantic love. I thought I wanted to be with him, I thought he was just like you, but,"

Her words die out and Riley traces circles on Maya's skin with her thumb.

"But what, Maya?"

"But he's not you."

"So what we've established is me and Lucas are the same, but Lucas isn't me? That doesn't make much sense, Peaches."

"I know Honey, listen, what I'm saying is you and Lucas are similar, but I don't like him. Not like that."

"…and you like me? Like that?"

Maya nods, looking up through her eyelashes at her best friend and praying she understands.

"It's always been you, Riles."

Riley's smile is brighter than the glow in the dark stars they stuck on the ceiling of Riley's bedroom when they were 8, and she wraps her arm around Mayas shoulders, tucking her head under her chin.

"I love you too, Peaches."

Maya curls closer to Riley, watching from behind the curtain of dark hair as the sun begins to set and her best friend turns golden, and places a soft kiss right under her jaw. Riley giggles and Maya knows everything is as it should be.


End file.
